Hannah was thankful when the bus driver pulled over to the side of the road, announcing they'd reached their stop. Her backside was numb, her legs were cramping, and her neck ached from sitting in a compacted space for so long. It didn't help that several of the roads were bumpier than warts on a frog. The bus passengers were tossed left and right as the bus driver barreled down the back roads.

Hannah never experienced motion sickness before; she hoped never to experience the awful nausea again.

It was her best friend, Suzanne, who suggested they visit Midnight Ridge while Floral Faye's, her florist shop, was under construction. During the two-week renovations, the shop where they both worked would be closed.

Suzanne's grandmother left the store to her when she passed away last year. The two friends started working in the shop when they were fourteen years old; at twenty-three, they were ready for a vacation, and now was the perfect time to take one.

Hannah couldn't say no to an all-expense paid trip with her best friend. She needed a change of scenery, and besides, being one with nature would fill their lives with adventures they could never experience while living in the city.

It was an unusual choice; Suzanne hated getting dirty. Midnight Ridge was bound to be surrounded by dirt and weeds: two things her boss hated the most-next to bugs. Suzanne broke down their duties at the floral shop based on how dirty they'd get while performing the task. Hannah dealt with the cleaning and shoppers while Suzanne tried to do the paperwork. Her laziness always led to her pleading for Hannah's help. Hannah carried out most of her friend's duties.

Suzanne complained throughout the four-hour ride. Hannah's head ached from the constant whining. Her headphones in place, Hannah watched videos on her phone, hoping to drown out her travel companion. She was enjoying herself until Suzanne removed an earpiece. Her friend groaned about the guy sitting beside them. He ignored her advances, something Suzanne was not used. Guys telling her no was a rare occurrence. In her eyes she should be worshipped, by everyone.

The conditions on the bus were overwhelming. The heat inside the vehicle, from the tight-fitting bodies, left them dehydrated, not to mention the odors coming from the bathroom were offensive enough to keep them rooted in their seats, lack of preparation made food scarce, and the majority of the people traveling with them were nosey, rude, and smelly. Their excursion's overwhelming conditions left Hannah second-guessing their choice of transportation.

Once the driver and the other passengers discovered the friend's vacation destination, they stopped making eye contact and turned their backs on the two women.

Suzanne didn't care about the obvious snub. She was happy they left her alone.

The passengers fear-filled eyes as they turned away from them left a knot in the center of Hannah's chest. She was especially bothered by the mothers response when they heard their children's giggles. The mothers placed their hands over their children's eyes and pulled them away with a warning of danger.

"Grab your stuff and get off!" The driver demanded, jumping out of his seat after flinging the doors open and stomping down the stairs.

Stunned by his behavior, Hannah and Suzanne exited the vehicle. It took a moment for them to perceive the bus driver's careless tossing of their luggage into the field next to the bus.

"What the..." Suzanne began before the driver rudely cut her off.

"This is as far as I go! The van from Midnight Ridge will pick you up at the gas station. The building is just up the road a little way," he informed them, jumping back onto the bus.

The wide-eyed girls watched in utter silence as the driver made a U-turn in the field. Without a second glance in their direction, he sped away, creating a cloud of dust as he left them dumbfounded and alone on the side of the road.

"That is what happens when you travel with the disadvantaged," Suzanne coughed, waving dirt out of her face.

"With the renovations going on, I thought a bus would be the reasonable way to travel. I was trying to do what you asked and save us some money," Hannah said defensively, gathering her tossed-about bags from the side of the road.

Groaning, Suzanne searched for her makeup bag. She found it resting in a pool of mud. Disgusted with the wet, lumpy, chocolate-looking puddle, she looked in the departing bus's direction and waved her middle finger at the driver.

"I'll retrieve it for you," Reaching around her friend, Hannah wrapped a tissue over the handle and lifted the bag.

Squealing, Suzanne did her yucky scuttle away from the puddle. With wide eyes, she kept her distance in case the bag slipped out of Hannah's hand and sprayed her with mud. The dance always amused Hannah. After freeing the bag, she offered it to Suzanne, who adamantly shook her head no. Mud clung to it, and she wasn't willing to have it accidentally touch her, leaving its nasty stains on her expensive clothes.

"You can carry it," Suzanne said, grabbing her dry luggage on wheels. "Come on. We better get moving before we miss the van." Still irritated at the driver's rude behavior, she stormed off in a huff.

Used to Suzanne's fear of anything dirty, Hannah brushed off as much mud as she could and tucked the large makeup bag under her arm.  

Hannah collected her luggage, thankfully with wheels, and turned to follow her friend when she spotted another bag.  Suzanne's overnight bag was a small suitcase that she was sure contained shoes.

It didn't take her long to catch up to  Suzanne, even though she was weighted down with double the load.

The lingering cloud of dust the bus created on its departure caused Hannah to have a coughing fit. She gulped down air and dirt as she hurried to close the gap between them.

"Are you alright?" Suzanne asked.

Shifting the bags, Hannah nodded yes.

"Here, let me help you." Suzanne reached over and adjusted the bag under Hannah's arm.

"Thanks," she laughed, disbelieving her entitled friend's actions. "I actually thought, for a minute, that you were going to help me."

Suzanne laughed, "As if that was gonna happen."

"I know! Ridiculous, right?" Hannah hoisting the awkward weight around continued on their trek.

"The way the bus driver said up the road, I thought the gas station was closer than this," Suzanne sighed.

"He was more concerned with frightening his passengers; he probably misled us on purpose. I feel like we have been shuffling this luggage around for over a mile. Where is this gas station?"

"Is that it? I think it is," Suzanne announced, her voice filled with hope.

"We still have a little way to go," Hannah sighed. They were tired and dusty after their rough trek yet determined to reach their destination. Relaxation was just around the corner.